


Little Pieces

by thicketofantlers



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 15:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1784716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thicketofantlers/pseuds/thicketofantlers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few slices of writing, responses to Tumblr prompts mostly. Mostly shorter fics. </p><p>1) Erik comes to the mansion after the beach scene, he doesn't stay long.<br/>2) Charles and Erik have a fight, Erik is a stubborn asshole and tries to fix things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coming Home

Cherik prompt: erik comes to see Charles after the beach scene and learns about charles' paralyzation. Bonus points for angsty /depressed!Charles.

~~

After the long and hot summer, autumn had set in cool in Westchester. The cool and colorful autumn had changed into a grey winter. There was very little that the warm fires and the hot tea could do to shake the chill off of the mansion on Greymalkin Lane that had been left hollow and cored by the absence of previous inhabitants.

Charles Xavier was tired. Out of all the places where the absences in the house were felt, he felt them most keenly in his heart. He had tuned it so closely to Raven and Erik both, that it seemed almost fitting that their loss was accompanied by the loss of his legs.

He was terribly prone to being morose like that, lately. But the truth was that he didn’t get to think on them as much as he even wanted to. He had surgery and occupational therapy, approving moderations to the floorplan when he was in his right head and then when he had finally gotten home he had physical therapists coming to see him. Thank god for the money, at least.

Truth be told, it wasn’t Erik and Raven that kept him up at night. It was the spasms and the pain and the jerking. He could direct his rage at his body’s betrayal, instead of the people who had abandoned him.

For all that some small part of him was hoping, he never actually expected Erik to show up in his window of all places, opening the windows by the metal handles, making a dramatic entrance in some garish ensemble with that dreadful helmet keeping from Charles what he didn’t even want to see anymore.

He was afraid that if he went back in Erik’s head, that he might forgive him. And Charles wasn’t ready to move on from this yet. He was stuck in his own head, now, fighting a battle that all of his money and intelligence and charm couldn’t win for him. He felt more alone now than he had since he met that little red haired girl in his kitchen and first felt that spark of hope that told him he maybe wasn’t alone after all.

“What are you doing here?” Charles asked, tired and weary as he pulled himself into a seated position on the bed, maneuvering as carefully as he could manage.

“I had expected to hear from you.”

“I’ve been a bit busy.”

Charles watched as Erik’s expression went from hard and serious before it flickered to something else as he caught side of the wheelchair next to Charles’ bed and back to Charles.

“Really, Erik? What did you expect? That after you left I would get up and walk away from that beach unscathed? I was shot in the spine. And you ripped the bullet out. Don’t look so surprised.”

“I didn’t know.” Charles wasn’t sure what that emotion was, not with that helmet on and phantom pains clouding his mind. It was late and Erik’s arrival felt like his wound was fresh, searing into his very core and damaging every bit as it went through him.

“Aside from all that, you were the one who left. It’s not my responsibility to stay in touch.”

“Charles, I . . .”

“What, Erik?”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t know.” Erik drew closer to the bed, finally trailing his hand along Charles’ leg under the blankets. Charles watched the movements, eyes tracing as Erik’s hand followed over the curve of his knee before he turned his head away.

“Don’t bother, I can’t feel it.” If there was a hoarseness in his voice, neither of them said anything about it. Charles didn’t notice that Erik had lifted his hand until he felt it on his cheek, brushing over the stubble there and making Charles’ heart beat just slightly faster.

“I wouldn’t have left you there.” Erik said. And Charles wanted to believe him, but Erik had his own way with words and Charles didn’t know if he meant them or was just saying them for the sake of it. He knew Erik cared, but he no longer had any perception of how much he cared. All Charles knew was that he would always be secondary to a cause.

“You can say that all you like, it won’t change that you did. Could you please go? I was trying to get some sleep for a change.” Charles saw the sting bite into Erik, though he couldn’t feel it through him. He didn’t like delivering it, he didn’t want to push Erik away.

Because despite everything, it had been such a lovely summer and Erik’s head, conflicted and tumultuous and hurt and scarred as it was, was a beautiful home away from home that made Charles’ heart ache and sing in the best of ways. He had wanted to help him, so badly.

Charles thought back to Raven, and that was all he had wanted for her too. He wondered where he had went wrong with the both of them. Was he toxic, that everyone he tried to help just ended up turning away from him?

“I never meant for you to get hurt like this, Charles. We’re supposed to fight together, for our people.” And it all came down to fighting, of course. It would never be anything but fighting for Erik, he had been molten anger and pain poured into a weapon and Charles now doubted that he would ever break that mold. Charles had wanted, so desperately, and he wondered how much of that had been selfishness. A perpetual need to change the flaws in others without so much as touching his own.

“I know.”

The ensuing silence settled over the two of them like a shroud--Erik waiting for something, Charles was hardly even sure of what anymore. Charles didn’t want to reassure him, or forgive him--he didn’t have that in him right now. Erik had too much pride to just keep talking and Charles didn’t want to hear what he might have to say anyway. But, taking his cue, Erik withdrew with careful steps from the bed, taking another look at the chair as he did. Charles was glad for the helmet, now.

“Please take care of her.” Charles finally said, quietly, as Erik turned to go away. He didn’t look to see if Erik acknowledged him, but instead turned away and listened for the click of the windows closing as Erik left.

There was nothing he could do, then, but wait. He could wait for morning or for sleep or for strength, or whichever came first.


	2. Stubbornness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after getting into yet another fight, Charles is angry with Erik but this time Erik tries to apologize and arranges a surprise

They never fought about stupid things, the little things. They had a tendency to drop the minor annoyances of day to day, week to week, month to month life and concede small defeats. They saved their energy for big fights--for raging monsters that threatened to split them apart and left one side of the bed cold while the couch stole its heat. They had the tendency to stop talking to each other, only look at each other with icy gazes hiding the hurt and the anger.

 

Both of them were too stubborn, really. When they clashed, they clashed in the worst ways possible--with figurative teeth and claws bared. It was never easy.

 

The worst part was that this time Erik knew that he had fucked up. He knew that he was in the wrong and that, as Charles put it, he was being a “stubborn asshole with no regard for the feelings of others.” The words had kept escalating but even though Erik knew he had been wrong from the beginning he had been too stubborn to admit it and stop the fight in its tracks.

 

Now Charles was across the world and Erik was sitting in their condo alone eating shitty take out and moping because Charles was  across the planet and he couldn’t feel the familiar signs of Charles’ presence (belt buckle, cufflinks, watch, and the delicately crafted flower made of a paperclip on their ninth date) and he knew he wouldn’t for two weeks because Charles was giving a series of guest lectures and Erik was supposed to be there but  was a selfish asshole and had decided to stay at home the last minute for a godforsaken project at work that didn’t even need him to be there out of some misguided sense that he could never delegate work to anyone because he had to do everything himself. And he really didn’t--Charles had actually been working on that, yet here they were.

 

Lonely Charles-less days dragged on, Charles didn’t even call because he was angry and upset and he had every right to be. Erik left him a voicemail on Skype with a bit of a mopey apology but Charles still didn’t reply and the dread and guilt started sinking into Erik’s gut like a weight.

 

He had really fucked up this time.

 

Erik loved Charles, he did. He just didn’t always know how to show it or act on it even though Charles was the single most important thing to him in his life since Erik’s mother had died. Erik didn’t have people after that and before Charles, but Charles had brought with him a whole host of friendships and bonds and relationships that Erik didn’t think he could have had because he knew he was an abrasive asshole at the very best of times.

 

So he had to fix it, somehow. He wasn’t sure how but he had a week before Charles would stumble back into their condo in New York City, jetlagged and bleary and tired from two weeks of traveling and drinking the way that only professors knew how to. He had time. He would fix it.

 

~~

 

Stepping off of a plane always reoriented Charles. He didn’t know what it was, by the time the plane had landed the fretting and nervousness of being trapped with near radio silence, compared to what he was used to hearing in his head, had already abated as the plane started to get closer into the city and airports and more and more voices started flickering in, distant but as bright as the lights of the city they were flying into. Once upon a time, Charles had never thought he would find the sheer number of busy voices of New York City comforting.

 

Perhaps more than he found all of the strangers comforting, he found the thought of Erik more so. Waiting somewhere in the airport to pick Charles up after only a few stilted conversations while Charles had been gone. Charles wouldn’t have been so angry with him, being gone for two weeks wasn’t that much of a hardship but he really did hate flying alone.

 

Charles went through all of the necessary steps--picking up bags and going through customs, weaving in and out of the groups of people. He eventually found Erik, shining like a beacon of light and home, and Charles almost forgot that he was still angry with him. Erik looked so relieved to see him, mind buzzing with warm thoughts of home and tea and sleep and bed, and maybe some kisses fit in between. He seemed terribly confident that their fight was just over.

 

Well, Charles supposed that he was on the right track to that when Erik scooped Charles into his arms, hugging him tight and pressing his nose into Charles’ hair, and Charles was a little surprised the first words out of his mouth were, “I’m so sorry, Charles. I should’ve been there with you.”

 

It was terribly difficult to keep his wits about him when Erik was being so sweet, he had expected Erik to have been stewing in his own stubborn frustration even despite the voicemails he had gotten that seemed to indicate otherwise, but here they were. Charles wrapped his unoccupied arm around Erik to hug him back and despite himself he did smile a little. He had missed him.

 

“You should have,” Charles finally said, not nearly as authoritative as he had meant it to be, thrown off by Erik’s very public and uncharacteristic admission of guilt and apology.

 

“I know. I won’t do that to you again, I’m sorry.”

 

If one apology was uncharacteristic, two had him suspicious. If Charles didn’t know that the man in front of him was Erik, he would be asking what the hell had happened to his Erik. Instead, the sincerity made his heart flutter a little and soothed some of the anger that had been building.

 

“Thank you, Erik. I accept your apology.”

 

Erik kissed him again, and even took Charles’ bags and they moved towards the car while Erik asked him how the trip had been. The drive home, Charles’ recounted stories of old friends he had seen again and new friends he had met, a few of the students and some of the interesting mutations he had encountered. By the time they had made their way home through traffic, the bone deep ache was setting in and Charles was just ready for bed.

 

Yet Erik was buzzing with a closely guarded sense of excitement and worry, and Charles was tired or he would be more suspicious or pry more into the reasons. Instead, he was surprised when Erik opened the door to their home and the flickering light of candles cast a warm and soft glow over the room. A stereo was playing one of Charles’ favorite songs in the background, and there was plated food and wine on the table. 

 

“I know you’re tired, but I also know you hate airplane food and that you could be out of the city for three days and still miss the food from that little bistro down the street.” 

 

“Oh, Erik, this is very lovely. Thank you dear.” Charles smiled, leaning up and kissing Erik sweetly. It had some of Erik’s flare in the grand gestures, but it wasn’t anything Charles had expected. 

 

“I had a little help from Raven while I was picking you up, for full disclosure, so everything should be warm. I’ll put your bags in the bedroom if you want to go ahead and sit down.”

  
The fact that Erik had asked for help was something in a milestone all its own, and Charles’ heart swelled that much more. He was tired, very tired, but he could manage to stay awake long enough to enjoy Erik’s gesture. And he was sure that Erik would go back to some of his stubborn tendencies before very long, but for now, Erik was sweet and sorry and ready to make amends and there wasn’t anywhere else Charles would rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> Have a prompt? Hit me up at thicket-of-antlers.tumblr.com and I'll see what I can do.


End file.
